The John Innes Centre (JIC) and The Sainsbury Laboratory (TSL) are delighted to announce a £1.6 million investment from the Wolfson Foundation, supporting a next-generation glasshouse, insectary, and horticultural research facility.
This 4,500 m² state-of-the-art infrastructure (known as Technology Platform 1) will enable scientists to study crop performance under realistic, reproducible conditions.
TP1 transforms the scale, reproducibility and ambition of the two institutes' research in crop resilience, plant immunity, sustainable agriculture and plant-derived products for human and environmental health. The integrated facilities will allow for plant-insect-microbe studies from molecules to the whole plant, providing a nationally accessible research capability.
The Wolfson Foundation's investment supports the construction and installation of an LED lighting system for the facility, allowing the precise environmental control needed to replicate future climatic conditions and seamless integration with genomics, imaging and computational modelling.
Paul Ramsbottom, Chief Executive of the Wolfson Foundation, said: "Together the John Innes Centre and The Sainsbury Laboratory are building a world-class centre of research excellence in Norwich, tackling the challenges of sustainable food production in a fast-changing climate. We are delighted to renew our support for this impressive initiative, after an earlier grant of £1.1 million in 2021, and will look forward to seeing how the research supports people and planet in the years to come."
As a cornerstone of a bigger research infrastructure development at Norwich Research Park, this investment supports the shared vision for Healthy Plants, Healthy People, Healthy Planet (HP3), investing in the next generation of plant and microbial science, training future leaders and entrepreneurs, catalysing innovation, and enabling research with profound implications for agriculture, human health and environmental sustainability.
Professor Cristóbal Uauy, Director of the John Innes Centre, said: "The new horticultural and insectary facilities will be the beating heart of our research, enabling us to grow over a million plants each year, test crops under future climate scenarios, and accelerate discovery across plant and microbial science. The challenges we face demand a step change in scientific capability, and this funding strengthens our ambition that the UK retains its world-leading status in plant and microbial science."
Professor Nick Talbot FRS, Executive Director of The Sainsbury Laboratory, said: "We are delighted that the Wolfson Foundation recognizes the enormous potential of plant and microbial sciences to help secure a safer, healthier and more sustainable future. Their investment in our state-of-the-art plant growth facilities will provide the precise environmental control needed to drive future-proof research into crop resilience and sustainable agriculture. The Foundation has been an important part of our journey from the outset, and we are proud to have such a prestigious partner alongside us as construction progresses and our ambitious HP3 vision takes shape."
Their generous donation supports our Healthy Plants, Healthy People, Healthy Planet (HP3) campaign.
About the Wolfson Foundation
The Wolfson Foundation is an independent grant-making charity with a focus on research and education. Its aim is to contribute to civil society by supporting high-quality projects in science, health, heritage, humanities and the arts.
Since it was established in 1955, the Wolfson Foundation has awarded over £1 billion (£2 billion in real terms) to around 14,000 projects throughout the UK, all on the basis of expert review.
Image - CGI image of the John Innes Centre and The Sainsbury Laboratory's Next Generation Infrastructure. Credit: BDP/Secchi Smith
